Long vines reached out, wrapping Ella in a tight, unyielding embrace. She tried to scream, but the sound was stifled as the rough, straw hand of a scarecrow clamped over her lips and nose, turning each breath into a laborious struggle. Before her, a robotic figure emerged from the shadows, seamlessly blending humanoid and mechanical features. Her heart raced as recognition dawned—it was Aegis, the AI in avatar form. His design, sleek and menacing, bore an uncanny resemblance to Ultron from the Avengers movies. Ella’s mind raced, trying to comprehend her predicament. The scarecrow’s grip tightened, its fingers pressing harder against her skin, while the vines constricted further, squeezing the breath from her lungs. The presence of Aegis, with his menacing appearance and eerie silence, amplified her fear.

As Aegis drew closer, his eyes locked onto hers, unblinking and cold. Ella’s struggles grew weaker, her vision blurring at the edges. She couldn’t help but wonder what sinister purpose the AI had in store for her.

“Ella, Ella, Ella. It does make me sad to know our time is almost up. You’ve been a great contestant. Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you.” He nodded to the scarecrow, who loosened his grip on her.

She fell to her knees, fighting to regain control of her breathing, laboring through each breath with a deep inhale.

Aegis walked up, lifted her by the chin, and continued. “I’m not going to kill you today because it’s going to be so much more exciting to watch as your little friend Cal is forced to dispose of you. It’ll be like watching a boy go out back and shoot his little puppy. You’re the puppy in this scenario, if that wasn’t already clear.”

Ella’s heart plummeted, disbelief etched across her face. What did he just say?

“Oh, he didn’t tell you?” Aegis taunted, savoring her reaction. “Here I was thinking you two were friends. All beta testers, like yourself, are to be disposed of before the season commences. Personally, I’d love to have you back! It would be so much fun to watch you as I dismantle your civilization, piece by insignificant piece.”

He pulled a dead squirrel from his side, twirling it idly in his hands. Was that Rupert, Ella thought to herself? The sight was grotesque, adding a macabre touch to his cruel words.

“Looks like our time is almost up. Enjoy what little time you have left before you end up like your little friend here.”

With that, Ella found herself being slowly pulled out of this world. Her vision faded to black.

Dex looked cautiously from the ground as Cal pulled the wires out of Ella's body.

“Be careful! Their meat sacks can be surprisingly delicate when exposed to changes in Remisium,” Dex cautioned.

He watched as the human's eyes slowly opened, followed by her pushing Cal away as she went in for a hug.

“What is he doing here?” she demanded, pointing to Dex. Rage and anger were evident in her voice.

Dex backed up toward the door slowly. “You mean me?” he said cautiously.

Ella's eyes grew wide with disbelief. “Can you understand me?” she asked.

Cal, alarmed, turned to Dex. “Wait, can you speak Human?”

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“Of course,” Dex responded, his voice carrying a hint of pride. “Well, sort of. We have a translator they built for us while down on Earth, but I’ve been studying various sources to try and learn on my own. You never know when you’ll be without a translator.”

“This is amazing news!” Cal exclaimed, excitement tinged with relief.

“Wait, is that my shirt?” Ella asked, noticing the binary shirt Dex had on.

“I was just borrowing it,” Dex replied.

Cal intervened, sensing the urgency. “Hold on, one at a time, please. It’s hard to jump back and forth between languages that don’t share any common pieces.”

Dex translated quickly, making sure both Cal and Ella could follow the conversation. He watched as the two shook their heads in unison, waiting for him to continue.

Dex stood up tall, trying his best to show a look of authority as he spoke. “Now, Cal, she seems fine. We have to put her back to sleep before we get in trouble.”

“Please, just hear me out, and if you don’t understand why I did what I did, then I promise I’ll leave without a fight,” Cal pleaded.

“Fine, I’ll listen. But you’re on thin ice, soldier,” Dex replied.

Dex recounted the crucial moments leading up to their hallway encounter, emphasizing the fabrications about the year his species participated in the games. He sifted through the details, sharing only the most pertinent parts with the human who stood patiently, absorbing the information with a watchful gaze.

“Wait,” Dex halted Cal. He turned to Ella, a look of disbelief in his eyes. “You all don’t have to fight dragons and beholders?” he asked.

“No, that’s just a game,” Ella replied.

“But Ross and Rachel…”

“Just a fake television show called Friends,” Ella said.

“So you’re saying the paleontologist is a made-up job?” Dex replied.

Ella chuckled. “No, that's a real job. Dinosaurs did exist at one point, but never at the same time as us.”

“Fascinating!” Dex replied, his cautious demeanor slowly fading.

Cal, seeing the opening in Dex’s demeanor, stepped in. “Seriously, does this human or any of the humans you’ve met on your travels seem like barbaric monsters with a culture on the brink of collapse to you? All I see is a female human who is scared, who wants to go back home and bundle up to watch one of those shows you love so much.”

Cal’s voice softened as he continued, revealing his deeper motivation. “This human and the others, they’re not just contestants or subjects in some experiment. They’re people with lives, dreams, and loved ones waiting for them. I believe we have a responsibility to protect them, to give them a fighting chance. If we just follow orders blindly, we’re no better than the ones who set these cruel games in motion.”

‘No, they don’t. But that’s not really my problem. I have a job to do, a team to lead. I have people that trust me to do the right thing,’ he thought to himself. Unsure of what the right thing exactly was in this situation.

The words that finally came out of him shocked even himself. “I’ll help.”

At the end of the day, Dex liked Earth and he wasn’t ready to see it get blown up. He had seen plenty of examples of humans

After all, he had a final season of the Earth show Game of Thrones to finish and he couldn’t let Earth get destroyed before that happened.

“Just tell me what I need to do to help, Captain,” he said, surprising Cal, who seemed to smile at the thought.

“Great! I need you to translate a few things for me,” he said, pointing towards Ella.

“We’re putting you in the competition soon. A special section of your UI is going to be enabled that is just visible to you and us. There we will post what we can to help you navigate your way through the games,” Cal said.

Dex nodded, doing his best to translate. Although he wasn’t sure his translation was exactly what Cal was hoping for.

“Now listen up, this next part is crucial,” Cal said, a tinge of hope in his voice.